COVID-19 in Pregnancy: Occupations with Higher Density of Population Exposure Associated with More Severe Disease

Miracle, Jill E; Ganesh, Prakash R; Rose, Johnie; Terebuh, Pauline; Stange, Kurt C; Wolfe, Honor M; Szabo, Andrea; Gullett, Heidi; Pope, Rachel

OBJECTIVE: To define the symptomatology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and associations between occupation, sociodemographic factors, and comorbidities with the severity of COVID-19 disease in pregnancy in all trimesters, regardless of hospitalization. METHODS: We studied a retrospective cohort of a public health surveillance sample of persons with COVID-19 infection diagnosed during pregnancy. Data was collected March 2020-August 2020 regarding symptoms, disease severity, comorbidities, obstetric history, and occupation. RESULTS: 163 individuals were identified. Constitutional (64%) and lower respiratory symptoms (61%) were most common. Seventeen individuals (13.6%) were hospitalized, and one person (0.7%) died due to COVID-19. Risk factors for severe disease were age and an occupation that had high intensity exposure to people. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational exposure is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease in pregnancy, justifying policy measures to ensure protection of this vulnerable population.